Poets have compared the staggering Tour Saint Jacques in Paris to a sunflower whose shadow slowly slides across the Seine river.
This Gothic edifice, pictured in this vintage postcard, was originally called Saint James of the Butchery. Is this a holy and uplifting name? I was surprised by the appellation until I read that the local butchers of the fourth district were the patrons of this religious structure.
The church was demolished after the French Revolution. All that was left was this teetering bit of lovely tower.
The French mathematician and vintage postcard lover Blaise Pascal tinkered about at the top of this monument (52 meters up) and created a little something called the barometer.
He wrote pieces of his book (New Experiments with the Vacuum) there as well. I’m fairly certain that he wasn’t talking about a Hoover! He experimented with to what degree liquids could be supported by air pressure. I’m glad that he wasn’t afraid of heights.
My amazing father wrote this poem:
Tall and damaged tower,
Once known as a flower,
caused Parisian hearts to flutter.
A genius mathematician,
worked his theorys there,
brought them to submission,
beneath his vacuous stare.Please subscribe here to my cpaphil - vintage postcard blog. Ohlala, I can't wait to see you again!
4 cool cats commented:
I've always liked the Tour Saint-Jacques, even before I knew what it was or its name.
Please, please, please stop requiring these damned code words. I cannot begin to tell you how much I despise them!
I scanned through the blog settings and found where to turn the verification codes off. No Prob!
Marie: Just as it says in your description, I DO love everything vintage, French and postcardy! I've done some blog posts specifically on postcards. I'm going to link your site - it's very charming!
Erin
Tall and damaged tower,
Minister to meat cutter,
Once known as a flower,
caused Parisian hearts to flutter.
A genius mathematician,
worked his theorys there,
brought them to submission,
beneath his vacuous stare.
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